KALDERASH LANGUAGE IN BULGARIA 1 First of all I would like to thank my friend and colleague LEV CHERENKOV for his

personal communications, and particularly ZLATKO MLADENOV and his family, BAY MARIO, BAY VASKO (POPOSH), my friend and colleague HRISTO KYUCHUKOV for his interest in this paper, and all the BULGARIAN KALDERASH RROM who live in Bulgaria and abroad. The objective of the present paper is to present some particular features belonging to one of the more picturesque variants of the Kalderash dialects spoken in Bulgaria, with its two internal varieties, which differ mainly due to the region to which the speaker belongs and to the external influences, e.g.: other Romani dialects and the Turkish and Bulgarian languages. The Kalderasha in Bulgaria mostly call themselves Kardarasha (in singular Kardarashi) and also Rrom Tsigniyake (Rrom who preserve and are part of the Tsigeniya-Rromaniya: the Romani law and traditions). Many subgroups of this community had left Romania during the so-called Kalderash migration which started in the second half of the 19th century, after the ending of the enslavement in Romania in 1864, some of them, first went to Russia2 and later, at the beginning of the 20th c., to Bulgaria. But a great number of the Kalderasha, those called Nymtsuria and Srburia entered first the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then reached Bulgaria via Serbia, after living sometime in that area. The Kalderasha were forced to become sedentary in 1958 by a special decree of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers. Nowadays they live, in most cases, in villages and small towns and less often in the big cities, in small family groups scattered among the surrounding Bulgarian population3. The Bulgarian Kalderash community is also divided into several internal subgroups (ntsiyi, kumpnyi and vtsi) some of them are the following: Zlatria, Grastria, Nitsulsh, Dudulya, Tasmanria, Zhwplsh, Laynsh, Srbski and Nymtsuria. Their traditional occupations are trade for men (mostly in horses in the past which is no longer the case, nowadays are businessmen in many areas of the industry and trade), and as for the women has been the practice of the fortune-telling. The Lovaria were the second group which entered Bulgaria, alongside with the Kalderasha and have been intermarrying them until now. Because of that many authors give the name Lovari-Kalderash as one of the communitys self-denominations in Bulgaria, that doesnt happen abroad where these are two differentiated groups. All "Kalderasha" Roma differ greatly from the rest of the Romani community in Bulgaria and are practically endogamous within their own community. The Kalderasha are mostly Orthodox Christians, they consider themselves Dasikan Rrom/ (denomination taken from the Erliyi), but evangelism is also growing up within their community, due to the missions and the regular trips of the French and German Kalderash pastors and missioners, who started to visit the area before the collapse of the communist system (these contacts also impacts on the language). The Romani language is well preserved within the community as well as a great part of the Romani traditions.
1 2

This paper is an extract of the Grammar and Dictionary of the Kalderash language, in preparation. It seems to be that they didnt stayed so much in those lands. 3 Marushiakova-Popov

It is an indicative fact that the Kalderasha are the only Romani group which has preserved the specific forms of the Romani Kris (Romani court), which they call in Bulgaria mesher or better mesheriva. That maintains the social structure of the Kalderasha Roma all over the world, and the Bulgarian Kalderasha are not an exception. They also share with other Kalderash groups abroad a self-awareness of belonging to a global specific group, and also preserve much alive the traditional values and concepts of the Tsignya-Rromanya (the Romani Law and traditions). Some impressions of a Kalderash Dialect in Bulgaria Kalderashko/Kardarashko shib Characteristics: The "Kalderasha" use their own distinctive Romani dialect with its own internal variants, which belongs to the so called Vlach dialects of the second level or New Vlach dialects. In Bulgaria there are four variants of the Kalderash dialects. The first two ones are really picturesque and very similar between them, (that of the Nitsulsh(ti) and that of the Zwplsh(ti)), and the motive of these remarks, they are also close to the variant spoken in Rumania, but with a strong Lovari influence in this case, mainly at a phonological level and partly in the vocabulary (the first impression at interacting with the group, is that they speak a Lovari dialect). In these variants can also be found a strong Rumanian influence at a lexical level, and similarities in many of their characteristics with the dialect of the Greek Kalderash of USA, Argentina and Uruguay (South-America). This makes these variants a little bit different from the western Kalderash variants and perhaps unique because of their characteristics. The Serbian and German variants also spoken in Bulgaria by the so called Nymtsuria and Srburia are closer to the occidental forms of the Kalderash dialects spoken in Russia, Western Europe and the Americas. However, all of these have mutual interference and are also lexically affected by other Romani dialects as well as by the Bulgarian and Turkish languages. Phonology of the dialect: The Kalderash dialects have been widely described. The most important phonological feature which differentiates this variant is that the phoneme represented by Rr in the words Rrom, Rromans, etc. is pronounced like the Spanish multiple vibrant r/rr of robar, ratn, roto, perro etc., this sound also occurs in some variants of the Lovari dialect in Hungary, Austria, etc., but it is also widely spread out among many Rromani dialects in Romania, this contrasts with the r (like the Spanish r in pero) of rat (blood), ryat (night), etc.. There is not affrication of k and g as it happens in some Serbian and Latin-American Kalderash dialects, like that of the Grkuria (Greek Kalderasha), e.g.: kinv (to buy), gilabv (to sing), etc. The variants spoken by the Nymtsuria and most of the Syrburia, phonologically, they represent mostly the Western Kalderash dialects where the phoneme which represents Rr is grassey like in French, plus the Nymtsuria have affrication of k and g and say: chinv (to buy), and djilabv (to sing). Another feature to take into account occurs in what we call the second variant of this dialect, where can be observed the loss of the intervocalic -s- and the insertion of y- to avoid hiatus, e.g.: rovyas (you cried) instead of rovsas, izdryas (you trembled) instead of izdrsas, e/le Rromya (instrumental: with the Rrom) instead of e/le Rromsa,

etc. This is typical of the Northwestern Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian dialects of Rromanes (Vlach and non-Vlach), the Kalderash groups who are or were in touch with speakers of other Romani dialects in that area adopted this feature which doesnt appear in the speech of other Kalderasha of this variant, plus some particular terms of their own, e.g: zaprga instead of fsta/fistno (skirt). Characteristics of the vocabulary: Romanian loanwords unknown in other Kalderash dialects: steva/stiva (star), zhudekatri (judge), zhudekta (judgement), ursutra (destine), pl. suffix. le of the nouns ending with the suffix - va, exclusively for borrowings ending in e, -a, e.g.: sarmva/sarmle, steva/stele, etc., yncht (slowly), lumna (light), ynapy (backwards), mrfa (business, Rum. treasure), tsigno (non-Kalderash Rrom), furkultsa (fork), godfather (nsho), prma data (first time), arde/ardey (green pepers, red peppers), din (like in the expression ppo din ppo , from grandfather to grandfather). Words coming from the Lovari dialect: vorbv (to speak, Lov. vorby), chorl/chorals (in secret, Lov. chorl/chorals, in Kalderash everywhere choryl), trants (clothes, Lov. trmtsi), skirv/iskirv (to write, Lov. skiry), aruli (belt, also in Kaldersh but mostly in Lovari harvli with that sense), shungarv (to spit). Some particular terms not found in other Kalderash dialects: khaysh/fteso (something, other Bulgarian and Western Kaldarasha use vreso), ftekay (somewhere), hrsavo/sko (each, every), ni (verbal negative particle, dont/doesnt, others chi), fya (narrow carpet), mesheriva (tribunal, Romani court, verdict), meshersho (judge), pepeliri (ashtray Blg. Plus suffix -ri. Rrom.), afrmish (jokingly), shwants (ribbons for the plaits), xer (donkey, maybe from the Erliyi?) kazm (how many, others use sde), Rromya, kerya, kerya (also typical of some Serbian and Bulgarian Romani dialects) alongside with Rromsa, kersa, kersa. Words from other Bulgarian Romani dialects: Dasikans (in Bulgarian, the Bulgarian / christian way, the more common term is Gazhikans), e Das (the Bulgarians, normally e/le Gazh), po lok (more easy, instead of may vushro, also common), pers/prsi (last year), sato (hour), ando yeft o sato (at seven oclock), par (money, alongside with lov), sable (in the morning alongside with dediminits(i)), Sofite (to Sofia, the Erliyi also say Sofite), penda/pennda (fifty, others pnda or pnzhvardesh), mine (shoes), kna (cradle), the future particle ka-, e.g.: kaazhukerv (I will wait), where other Kalderash dialects use kam-, the negation for the future (nay te used also by the Erliyi instead of ni ka-). Bulgarian and Turkish loanwords: perdeva (courtain Blg. perde from Turkish), kilm (rug, Blg. From Turkish), hich (at all, Blg. localism from Turkish), nshto (something Blg.), obrazuvanyva, obrazuvnye (education, Blg.), poluchv (to receive Blg.), chekmedjva (drawer Blg. and Turkish), voinva (war Blg.), rdi (relatives from Blg. Rod or Rum.), li (or, Blg.), mshte/mzhe (maybe, Blg.), particle li in questions, e.g.: si li tut? (do you have?), na li san? (you are not), (not common), hem (and), bzo/ldo (ice, Turkish and Bulgarian)..

Modern international loanwords through Bulgarian: ffti-ffti (fifty-fifty), prti (party), wski (whiskey), xto (hit), frishpo (freeshop), avino (airplane maybe from Western Romani dialects instead of the normal samulti/samolti Blg.). As it was mentioned above these four dialects have mutual interference and a slight influence from abroad, due to the mutual contact of the Kalderash groups in Bulgaria a leveling of these variants could also be expected in the near future. However it is also my impression that for being the Kalderash dialects in Bulgaria a language of a minority, it suffers much more the pressure of other Romani dialects spoken by the majority of the Rrom there, like that of the Erliyi, even though nobody could assure it, it seems to be that in the future more characteristics of the Rromanes of the Erliyi are going to be absorbed into the Kalderash dialects (it also happens inversely among many Romani activists). A factor of a major influence upon them is undoubtedly the expansion of the recorded Romani music in the Balkans and in Bulgaria in particular, and the increasing number of Romani bands along the country which mainly sing in dialects similar to that of the Erliyi. It would be worthy to mention that the Kalderash in Bulgaria are not the dominant group as it happens with our group in the Americas. Examples of the Kalderash language in Bulgaria and abroad: Eastern version: Ande lya sas amn khaysh/fteso vzhno te krs, ke zhilas abiv ftekay ande Sfia, hem troblas te nakhs pa o Slveno, (h)ay vothr po-kasno, troblas te bldas Sofite te vzdas o abiv (e nnta) mashkr e Tsignya, telyardim ando Slveno ando yeft o sato, sable/de diminitsi, gelim yncht, panzh kolle sas amn. Blagodrno smas sa e Rromntsa. Western version: Luyin sas amn vreso vzhno/importnto te kers, ke zhilas abiv vrekay ande Sfia, ay troblas te nakhs pa o Slveno, ay kothr may pzno, troblas te ambldas ande Sfia te vzdas o abiv mashkr e Tsigenya/e Rromanya, telyardm ando Slveno kal yeft la diminiatske, gelm lokorrs, panzh matri sas amn. Nayisim smas sa le Rromntsa. Russian (=Western) version (sent by Lev Cerenkov): Luyin sas am(n) vrso vzhno te krs, k zhilas abiv (nnta) vrkay ande Sfia, (h)ay troblas te nakhs pa o Slveno, (h)ay kothr (=kotsr) may pzno, troblas te ambldyuvas (=[am]bldas-am) ande Sfia te vzdas o abiv (e nnta) mashkr e Tsignya / e Rromnya, teliardim ando Slveno kal yeft de diminits, glim lokorrs (lno), panzh matri sas am(n). Nayismsko smas sa le Rromntsa. English:

On Monday we had something important to do, because we had to celebrate a wedding party somewhere in Sofia, and we had to get through Sliven, and from there, later on, we had to come back to Sofia to celebrate the party within our Romani group, we departed to Sliven at seven oclock in the morning, we drove slowly, we had five cars. I was grateful to our people. Small Glossary and text of a Bulgarian Kalderash/Kardarashi Dialect This is a small glossary of some of the Kalderash voices used in Bulgaria and practically unknown by other Kalderash groups abroad, which, in fact, give the soul to this picturesque dialect, we just intend to show some examples of typical words which only belong to this Kalderash variant plus some Rumanian, Bulgarian, Turkish and other terms coming from other Bulgarian Romani dialects too. Abbreviations: Blg., Bulg.: Bulgarian Kald.: kalderash dialects Rom. Erl.: Erlya Dialect Rom. : Romani Rom. Lov.: Lovari dialect Rum.: Rumanian Turk.: Turkish A Afrmish: jokingly Aml (Rom. and Rom. Lov.): friend, friends Anglun (Rom. Lov.): first Ard (Rum., pl.: arde): pepper B Bba: grandmother Borkv (Bulg.): to make a mistake Boyto (Rum.): baby Buketra (Rum.): Mouthful Butlka (Rum., Bulg.): Bottle Bzo (Turk): ice C Chekmedjva (Bulg., Turk.): drawer

Das (Rom. Erl.) : Bulgarian man Dasikans (Rom. Erl.): Bulgarian Language Dasn (Rom. Erl.): Bulgarian woman Djmo (Bulg., Turk.): windows glass, window by extension F Faydva (Turk.): benefit Felistra (Rum.): window Ftekay: somewhere Ftesave (compare Rum. Fiecare): some Frishpo (International from English): freeshop Ftro (Bulg.): second Furkultsa (Rum.): fork G Gra (Bulg.): station Grma (Rum.): bracelet Grzno (Bulg.): ugly H Handko/handko (Rum.): profound Hataltsa: cheating Hederlzi (Turk.): Saint Georges feast Hrsavo (Rom.): each one, each, every Hodinyla (Rum.): rest I Ir-ma (Rom. other dialects): to come back Iskirv (Rum., Rom. Lov.): to write zburi (Bulg. Izbur); election K Kaday (Rom.): this (fem.) Kadav (Rom.). this (masc.) Kazm (Rom.): how much, how many Krv chu (Bulg. and International): to say goodbye Krv zdrsti (Bulg..): to say hello Kilm (Turk.): small carpet, rug Kno (Bulg. cinema): film Kto (Bulg.): whale
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Klno (Bulg.): clan Kmto (Bulg.): mayor Kodoy (Rom.): that (fem.) Kodov (Rom.): that (masc.) Kolva (Bulg.): car Komfrto (Bulg.): comfort Kostenrka (Bulg.): turtle Kna: cradle Kurbno (Turk.): sacrifice Kh Khaysh (Rom.): something L Logdna (Rum.): engagement, betrothal Loshal (Rom. Lov.): happy Lumna (Rum.): light M Magazno (Bulg.): store Malavv (Rom.): to start Mrfa (Rum. Treasure): business Msa (Bulg.): table Mena (Rom. dialects): shoe Merko (Bulg.): desire Meshersho (Pl.: Meshershi): judge Mesheriva: Gypsy trial Mobifni, mobifno (Bulg..): cellular phone Mzhe, mshte (Bulg.): maybe N Nachlniko (Bulg.): boss Nsha (Rum.): grandmother Nsho (Rum.): godfather Nkuga (Bulg.): never O bedo (Bulg.): lunch Obichri (Rum.): custom, traditions P

Pla (Rom.) Nemizo (Rum.): in the afternoon Par (Rom. Erl.): money Psha rakite (Rom.): in the evening Patv (Rom. cloth for the feet in other dialects): carpet Perdeva (Bulg., Turk.): Curtain Pers, Prsi (Rom.): last year Piska (Rum.): cat Pldo (Bulg.): fruit Pochvka (Bulg.): rest Plsha (Bulg.): Poland Poluchv (Bulg.): To receive Poshtno (Bulg. pchten): honorable Pska (Rom. other dialects): pocket Pred (Bulg.): before Pretra (Rum.): town hall, prefecture R Radka (Rum.): root Reshitri (Bulg. Plus Kald.sufix itri from Rum. -itr): who takes decisions Rdi (Rum): relatives S Sko (Rum.): knapsack, suitcase Samulti (Bulg.): airplane Srecha (Rum.): poverty Sgrda (Bulg.): building Shkfo (Bulg.): wardrobe Sprto (Bulg.): Alcohol Stya (Bulg.): room Stklo (Bulg.): Bottle Stkla (Rum.): Bottle Stlo (Bulg.), stoltsa: chair Stiva (Rum): star Sgo (Rom.): soon T Tshno (Bulg. tchno): exactly Trno (Rum.): train Tutno (Rum.): tobacco Th Thagr (Rom.): king, kings Thagarn (Rom.): queen
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Ts Tsenva (Bulg.): price Tsigno (Rum.): non-Kalderash Rrom U Uchenko (Bulg.): pupil V Vdji/vzhi (phonological Bulg. Influence): still Vko (Bulg.): century Vertv (Rum.): excuse Vta (Rum.): animal Vorbv (Rum., Rom. Lov.): to speak Vostrv (Bulg.): to sharpen Voth (Rom.): there Vurdn (Rom.): bus X Xarn (Rom.): short Ximiklo (Bulg.): pen Y () Ynapy (Rum.): back Yncht (Rum.). slowly Z Zstra (Bulg.): dowry Zh Zhudekta (Rum.): trial Zhudekatri (Rum.): judge Despite the above mentioned the text which follows this glossary will show the Unity between these Kalderash dialects and the Western Kalderash dialects. Western Kalderash version (Russian Kalderash Argentina):

Sar kerd o Del le Manushn4 Zhans sar kerd o Del le Manushn?, phenva les tuke me, o Del prvo/angluns kerd la lumi sa le djelntsa/buchntsa kay sy/si pe lte, le kash, e char, le zhigni, no, ssagodi/ku sa. Nma o Del acharlas pe krkorro, ay atnchi gyndisard ke troblas vareks psha pste, ay kerd le manushn, prvo la chik a frymentisard la, ay lsa kerd ek mansh pala psko patrto ay thod les andek bov chikko, kay kerd te pekl les, nma geltar ay bystrdjilo pa pski buch, ay kna ambold plpale o mansh sas sa phabard, kod si o dad le Kalngo nda sa e lmia, nma, amar Ray nas vselo/loshal pska buchsa, ke kamlas te kerl avr manushn, ay atnchi kerd may ek figra (Spanish), ay de-nevs thod la ando bov, ay te na bystrdjol, ankalad la fga/sgo, achrdjol ke kach dta sas desi parn, kad si o dad le Parnngo, le Gazhngo; ay ple na vselo ssa kerdsas, Rromle, shavle, zumad te kerl may eg dta sa kodi buch, a thod e figra ando bov, ay sokotisard (Rum.) e vrimia pri misht, ay kod sas o mansh o may shukr savorrndar, nas chi parn chi kal, mkar ke melaxnorr sas, kalichso, phabard ktar o kham, kod si o dad sa le Rromngo, ay lsa o Del akan ashil pri raduim pe sagd/de vchi. Kadi sas murr paramchi/paramcha. Figurative Northwestern Bulgarian Kalderash Version (Also spoken in Sofia): Sar krdi o Del le Manushn Zhians sar krdi o Del e Manushn?, ka-phenv les tuk me, o Del angluns/prvo (Bulg.) krdi e svyats (Bulg.)/lumi sa e bukintsa kay sy pe lste, e kash, e char, e vte (Rum.), sar avla, ku (Rum.) sa. No o Del akhiarlas pe krkorro, hem (Bulg. Turk.) atnchi gyndisardi k troblas vareks psha pste, hay krdi e manushn, angluns li chik hem mesisardi (Bulg.) la, ay lya krdi yek mansh pe psko kpo (Rum.) hay thodi les andek pchka (Bulg.) chikki, kay krdi te pkl les, no gltar ay bystrdilo pa pski buk, hay kna boldi ynapy (Rum.)/plpale o mansh sas sa phabard, kodov sy o dad e Kalngo nda sa e lmia, no, amar Gspod (Bulg..)/Ray nay sas/nas loshal/vselo pska bukisa, k kamlas te krl avr manushn, hay atnchi krdi may yek kpo, ay ple thodi les ndo bov/pchka, hay te na bystrdyol, ankaladi la sgo, akhirdyol k kadav drom/dta sas but parn, kadav sy o dad e Parnngo, e Gazhngo/e Dasngo; hay ple na loshal sya krdiyas, Rromle, shiavle, zumadi te krl may yek drom sshto (Bulg.) buk, hem thodi e fgura (Bulg.) ndo bov, ay smetisardi (Bulg.) o vrme (Bulg.) tchno (Bulg.)/but lashs/misht, hay kodov sas o mansh nay (Bulg.) shukr savorrndar, nay sas ntu (Bulg.) parn ntu kal, mkar k mrgavo (Blg.) sas, xanc kal, phabard kta o kham, kodov sy o dad sa e Rromngo, ay lya o Del akan ashil but loshal de-vchi (Rum., Kald.). Kaday sas munrr paramcha. English:

Traditional Romani folktale 10

How God created the human beings Do you know how God created the human beings?, Im going to tell it to you, God first made the world with all the things that exist on it, the trees, the grass, the animals, well, with everything. But God felt alone, and then thought that he needed company and created the human beings, first took some mud and kneaded it, and with it made the figure of a man at his own image and put it into an oven that he made to roast it, but he went away and forgot it, and when he came back the man was all burnt up, thats the ancestor of the black people from all over the world, but our Lord wasnt happy with his creation, because he also wanted to make other people, and then he made one more figure and put it into the oven, and to not forget it, he took it away at once, of course, this time it was even very white, this is the ancestor of the White People, the Gadje, and once again not so happy with his creation, he proved once again the same task, and put the figure into the oven, and calculated the time very well this time, and this was the more beautiful man of all of them, he was nor white neither black, even though brown, tanned, and this is the ancestor of all the Rrom, and with him now he felt really happy for ever. This was my tale. Key to the pronunciation: Ch: as in English church Dj: as in English jeans (): sound in between a and e, also represented by a (tuk/tuka), Bulgarian () H: as in English home Kh: Sound K + H aspirated Ph: Sound P + H aspirated R: soft as in Spanish pero Rr: in the dialects of Bulgaria as Spanish Rr (perro), in the others as in French r grassey Sh: as in English show Shi and sh became sh in Argentina like in other countries as in English show Th: Sound T + H aspirated W: as in English w X: as in German ich Y (consonant): as in English yard ,Y (vocal): as in French u or german Z: as in French or English z Zh: as in English pleasure Zhi and zh became zh in Argentina like in other countries as in French Jean

Jorge M. F. Bernal (o Lolya le Yonsko) Bibliography:

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Bari, Karoly, Gypsy Folklore, Hungary-Romania, 10 CDs with fairytales, songs, legends, etc., Private publishing, Hungary 1999. Kalderasha and Lovari from Hungary and Romania Barthelemy, Andr, Dictionnaire du Tsigane Kalderash, France 1984. Calvet, Georges, Dictionnaire Tsigane-Francais, (Dialecte Kalderash), LAsiatheque, 1993. Demeter, R. S., Demeter, P. S., Gypsy Russian and Russian Gypsy Dictionary (Kalderash Dialect) Moscow 1990. E Lashi Viastia E vorba le Devleski le Rromenge, I.G.P., Inc. 1984, Distributed by the Rom, anonimous. F. Bernal, Jorge M., Rromane Paramicha, in Lacio Drom, Centro Studi Zingari, 1981 1999. F. Bernal, Jorge M., Rromane Paramicha, in Romano Dzaniben, Czech Republic, 1994 2004. F. Bernal, Jorge M., Gramtica y Diccionario de la Lengua Kalderash, unpublished, manuscript. Gjerde, Lars, The Orange of Love and other stories, Norway, 1994. Hancock, Ian, Patterns of English lexical adoption in an American dialect of Rromanes, Orbis, 25 (1):83-104 (1976). Kyuchukov, Hristo, Amari Romani Lumja, Tilia Ltd., Sofia, 2000. Kyuchukov, Hristo and Mladenov Zlatko, Kratka Gramatika na Kalderashkiya Romski dialekt, Bulgaria, 2004. Maximoff, Mato, E Nevi Viastia, Kalderash, Paris, 1995. Magazine Romano Centro, from Romano Centro, Viena, Austria, 1999-2004. Marushiakova, Elena, Popov, Veselin Studii Romani, Vol I, II, III-IV, V-VI, Bulgaria, 1994 1998. Tomova, Ilona The gypsies in the transition period. Sofia, 1995

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